my timesThe Korea Times

South Korea

PoliticsDefenseGlobal CommunityEnvironment & AnimalsLaw & CrimeHealthSocietyEducationOthers
  • Society

    Police officers' decadeslong local ties fuel calls for wider rotation

    About 17,000 police officers have worked at the same station for more than 10 years, amid a government push to expand its police rotation policy over concerns about local cronyism. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Lee Sang-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 5,209 senior inspectors, 8,697 inspectors, 3,211 assistant inspectors and 13 senior patrol officers had worked at the same station for over 10 years as of this month. At the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 8.4 percent of 31,302 officers at the rank of senior inspector or below had worked at the same station for over 10 years. The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency in North Jeolla Province posted 23.8 percent of 5,136 officers, and the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency in North Chungcheong Province posted 21.7 percent of 3,954 officers. Senior inspectors and inspectors, the two ranks that lead frontline operations, made up 18 percent and 24.2 percent of their ranks nationwide, giving officers local familiarity that aids community policing but could also breed collusion between officers and lo

    2 MIN READBy Park Ung
    Police officers' decadeslong local ties fuel calls for wider rotation
  • Environment & Animals

    Solar-lit streets protect pedestrians at night in Seoul's Gyeongridan

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    Solar-lit streets protect pedestrians at night in Seoul's Gyeongridan
  • Law & Crime

    Yoon Suk Yeol convicted of violating election law, PPP faces $27 mil. repayment

    2 MIN READBy Yi Whan-woo
    Yoon Suk Yeol convicted of violating election law, PPP faces $27 mil. repayment
  • Health

    World's largest mouse gut virome database enables accurate aging prediction

    2 MIN READBy Ko Dong-hwan
    World's largest mouse gut virome database enables accurate aging prediction
  • South Korea

    Seoul scholarship students cross borders to give back in first joint volunteer effort

    2 MIN READBy Lee Kyung-min
    Seoul scholarship students cross borders to give back in first joint volunteer effort
Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Read more

Society

Seoul to build bunker designed for nuclear, chemical defense

Seoul will build a shelter for civilians in the southern part of the city, capable of withstanding nuclear, biological and chemical attacks — the first such facility to be constructed by a local government. The city government said Monday it plans to create the shelter on the third basement level of a public housing complex in Songpa District, as a pilot project to expand civil defense shelters in response to evolving security threats. The 2,147-square-meter shelter will hold up to 1,020 people and include systems to support life for 14 days in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack. The facility will include a decontamination area for entry and exit and a mechanical room housing air control and water storage systems. In peacetime, it will serve as a space where residents can exercise. With an estimated budget of around 3.4 billion won ($2.37 million), the city plans to complete construction of the shelter by 2028. It also aims to expand similar civil defense shelters to other districts, adding protection features against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks. In addition,

Oct 15, 2025By Park Ung
Seoul to build bunker designed for nuclear, chemical defense
Politics

Ex-President Yoon unlikely to appear for questioning next week in Marine death case

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to reject a special counsel's summons to appear for questioning next week over his alleged interference in a military probe into the 2023 death of a young Marine, legal sources said Tuesday. On Monday, the team led by special counsel Lee Myeong-hyeon issued a summons to Yoon to appear next Thursday over allegations that the initial findings of the probe into Cpl. Chae Su-geun's death were changed to clear a then Marine commander of responsibility. Yoon, who is currently in custody on charges related to his failed martial law bid, indicated that he would not comply with the summons as he met his lawyers earlier in the day, according to the sources. "(We) do not plan to respond to next Thursday's questioning," his lawyer told Yonhap News Agency by phone. The late Marine died in July 2023 during a search mission for torrential rain victims, prompting a military investigation. Yoon allegedly flew into a rage during a meeting with senior aides upon being briefed on the probe's initial findings. Since he was placed under arrest for a second time, Yoon

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-President Yoon unlikely to appear for questioning next week in Marine death case
Defense

Wages partially unpaid for Korean workers at US Air Force: source

Some Korean employees working for the U.S. Air Force stationed in Korea did not receive part of their wages for October, a source said Tuesday, raising questions over the cause of the incident. Their wages for the Oct. 1-3 period went unpaid in the latest stipend they received for the Sept. 21-Oct. 4 period, according to the source. Korean employees working for the Air Force receive their wages every two weeks. The three-day period was marked as a furlough, or unpaid leave, but no advance notices or follow-up explanations were given, the source said. The exact number of the affected workers was not immediately available, but the issue appears to have affected the majority of employees at the armed service's Osan and Gunsan air bases. A U.S. 7th Air Force official said the accounting office at the armed service is in the process of determining the cause of the incident, without further elaboration. The latest incident comes as the U.S. government officially shut down on Oct. 1 for the first time since 2019 after a divided Congress failed to reach an agreement over a short-term funding meas

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
Wages partially unpaid for Korean workers at US Air Force: source
Law & Crime

Police file 143 disappearances, detentions of Koreans in Cambodia

Police said Tuesday they have filed 143 cases of suspected disappearances and detentions of Koreans in Cambodia over the past nearly two years. According to the National Police Agency, the total cases were filed from the start of last year through Monday, of which 91 cases were solved after the missing person's location and safety were confirmed. The remaining 52 cases are still under investigation. Police disclosed the number of suspected disappearances and detentions in Cambodia for the first time amid recent public alarm over cases of Koreans being abused after falling victim to job scams in the Southeast Asian nation. In one particular case, a Korean college student was found tortured to death in August. Police have stated plans to ask the Cambodian police to create a Korea desk to exclusively handle cases involving Koreans, increase the assignment of police officers to the country and add personnel to international investigation teams.

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
Police file 143 disappearances, detentions of Koreans in Cambodia
Politics

Lee stresses need to restructure unpayable debts of small business owners

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday the government needs to restructure unpayable debts held by small business owners and individuals to help them recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at a town-hall style meeting, Lee underscored the government's responsibility to support over-indebted people, noting that debts among small merchants and the self-employed surged during the pandemic due to strict business restrictions. "In our society, once you fall into debt, you are chased by it until death, which is socially not desirable," Lee said during the "Digital Talk Live" event with small merchants and panel participants. "In advanced countries, unpayable debts are quickly written off and settled. Just as new sprouts emerge once the old stubble is cleared from the field, we should do the same," he added. Lee suggested a "reformist approach" toward financial policy, saying there is "much room for adjustment" through policy measures. Addressing public skepticism about debt write-offs, the president said broader understanding that the government should bear the cos

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
Lee stresses need to restructure unpayable debts of small business owners
Law & Crime

Cosmetic treatments disguised as pain therapy: 131 caught in insurance fraud scheme

A total of 131 individuals, including a clinic director, were allegedly involved in an insurance fraud scheme that disguised cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections as pain treatments, according to police and financial authorities, Tuesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said the clinic director had been referred to prosecutors on charges of violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, the Medical Service Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. In addition, 130 patients who received the procedures were also referred to prosecutors without detention for their involvement. Police found that the director had been operating a clinic registered as specializing in dermatology and orthopedics since 2019, while performing non-insured cosmetic procedures such as filler and Botox injections, as well as other skin treatments. He allegedly falsified medical records to make these procedures appear as physical therapy or pain-relief injections covered by insurance. The investigation also revealed

Oct 14, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Cosmetic treatments disguised as pain therapy: 131 caught in insurance fraud scheme
Politics

S. Korea revives key N. Korea dialogue office, scales back rights agenda

The Unification Ministry announced a sweeping reorganization on Tuesday, reinstating key offices for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation that were dismantled under the previous administration, while reducing its focus on human rights initiatives. The move follows the Lee Jae Myung administration’s policy goal of “peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula.” According to the ministry’s restructuring plan, the total workforce will increase from 533 to 600, with the addition of 67 new positions. Around 80 percent of the 81 positions that were cut under the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration will be reinstated. Officials said the overhaul aims to reestablish the ministry’s core role in promoting inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges. At the center of the change is the revival of the inter-Korean dialogue headquarters, a dedicated body that had been effectively sidelined since North Korea unilaterally blew up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office in June 2020. The headquarters will oversee talks, liaison channels and border entry management between the two Kore

Oct 14, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
S. Korea revives key N. Korea dialogue office, scales back rights agenda
Law & Crime

Lawyer of late Yangpyeong County official vows to sue special counsel team

The lawyer for a Yangpyeong County official who died last week after questioning by the special counsel investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee said Tuesday that he will file a complaint against special counsel investigators for abuse of power and other charges. Lawyer Park Kyung-ho made the remark during a news conference held at a memorial altar installed in front of a building in downtown Seoul where the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki is located. Park said he has asked the special counsel team for a review and copy of his client's interrogation records and plans to sue investigators suspected of conducting an illegal probe for abuse of power, cruel acts and forging of official documents. The late official, whose identity was withheld, was found dead at his home last Friday, eight days after he was grilled by special counsel investigators probing whether Kim's family received improper benefits from a land development project in Yangpyeong, 52 kilometers east of Seoul. The official reportedly left behind 21 pages of handwritten notes complaining about alleged coercion and p

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
Lawyer of late Yangpyeong County official vows to sue special counsel team
Defense

N. Korea possibly received Russian aid for Hwasong-20 ICBM: JCS chairman

North Korea has possibly received technological assistance from Russia in developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that was first showcased during a recent military parade, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. North Korea unveiled the Hwasong-20 ICBM, which it described as "the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system," in a military parade held last week to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. The design of the transporter erector launcher for the Hwasong-20 appeared to be different compared with the previous Hwasong-19 first fired in October last year, raising speculation the North may have received support from Russia in developing the new long-range missile amid their deepening military alignment. "I believe there is sufficient possibility," JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung said in a parliamentary audit session, when asked about such a possibility. Alongside the Hwasong-20 ICBM, the North unveiled an array of weapons ranging from a new hypersonic missile to vehicles designed to launch multiple

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea possibly received Russian aid for Hwasong-20 ICBM: JCS chairman
Politics

Gov't allocates budget to attract foreign talent following US visa fee hike

The government assigned 5.12 billion won ($3.58 million) from its reserve fund Tuesday to support programs aimed at attracting foreign talents after the United States' decision to raise visa fees for professionals. The spending plan was approved during a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae Myung. The government said the budget will be used for promotional programs to attract skilled foreign workers in response to the U.S. visa policy change. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 fee for applicants to the H-1B visa program for highly skilled professionals. Following the decision, Lee's office instructed relevant ministries to explore ways to recruit skilled scientists and engineers affected by the new U.S. visa policy.

Oct 14, 2025By Yonhap
Gov't allocates budget to attract foreign talent following US visa fee hike
previous page
466467468469470
next page

Most Read in South Korea